Way back before casino operators started eyeing up the idea of moving online the Reno based company IGT had already pulled out. They simply didn’t know where they stood legally in the US and have enough other business with their slot machines to keep them merrily ticking over.

Tom Baker, IGT Chief Executive: 'We changed our mind because the regulatory environment in the US is still uncertain and the politicians and regulators still have not come to a consensus and a clear set of rules for how things are going to work.'

Still, the Reno-based company is considered a sleeping giant in the emerging I-gaming industry. Marc Falcone, gaming industry analyst with Deutsche Bank Securities: 'With their technology, their systems and their content, IGT could be a pretty powerful provider of online services for Web casinos.”

The company has already been approached by major gaming companies to provide content for websites that now operate in areas that have expressly legalized Internet gambling. In the meantime, IGT is exploring other technologies.

According to Baker the company is simply biding its time until the market is right: 'I personally feel that although we've seen some success in some parts of the world, Internet gaming is not going to work well until the US is part of the market.'